Trend to Smaller House Plans

I ran across this article the other day -  "trend toward smaller homes for thriftier seniors"

The article sites the following housing trends for the 50 and over market:

• New house plans are getting a bit smaller - down to about 2300 sf average
• People are looking for affordability
• Folks are doing a lot of in home entertaining,  so open floor plans and kitchens with island seating are important.  Didn't I see this on a golden girls episode?
• People are seeking smaller house plans that still feel large - quote "more space-efficient design concepts include using less space for hallways, fewer walls to give a more open feel, and more storage under stairways and above kitchen cabinets"  Are you kidding me?  These are cited as revolutionary concepts?
• Seniors are open to smaller lots and higher densities
• Clients are making less expensive choices - eschewing granite counters for other alternatives
• 

Well I say it's a great feeling to be in style again!  These are exactly the kinds of homes we have been designing for years at Larson Brenner Architects, and exactly the kinds of house plans I offer at Simply Elegant Home Designs.

And I have news.  The trends cited are not exclusive to the 50's and over crowd.  These are the kinds of homes that our clients have been seeking for quite some time.  And most of our clients have been 30 and 40 somethings.  They are looking for a smaller yet highly functional and livable floor plan.  A house plan that is smarter and nicer.  Around here we call that "just plain good design".

a modern approach

If you live in DC, chances are you live in a tradition style home. Strict neighborhood associations prevent much alteration in the best neighborhoods so you're required to live in a historical setting (for tourism reasons, maybe? I really enjoy a more eclectic environment myself). Recently however, I came upon a house in Georgetown that really felt like a great concession between traditional and modern design. A few quick little updates and this typical DC rowhouse gets a modern edge.No major exterior renovation appears to have happened (probably not allowed by local associations!) but the application of bright white paint over the brick and painting the windows black with grey trim keeps things looking more modern, don't you think? Even the very linear bushes seem updated, as do the replaced light fixtures. Most people overlook their window blinds but they're so important to the exterior of the house! Here, clean and uniform blinds lend a very contemporary look (no crooked curtains or askance mini blinds!) You can even see a very modern chandelier shining through the window in the rear bay. I love this mix of the old and new!
Sorry peeking Toms, I've been a good neighbor and photoshopped the street address out of the photos!

Chaos to get order

My husband always says you first have to have chaos to get order. Well my kitchen is just that. It is amazing to see how cluttered my cabinets are when the doors are removed ......and I thought I was getting that organized "thing" down- but obviously not. Here are some pics of the "work in progress".






This little gem has saved me HOURS of hand painting.







I can paint a sea of doors is less than 10 min!!!





The final product


Oh and if you happen to use a power sprayer-a little word of advise- dont wear flip flops- I have some nice gray speckled toes- hmmmm I wonder if nail polish would work in once of those things????

Mariu de Andreis in Paris

Over the weekend I was home chez my parents' house and as you may know, the Metro North train rides can be pretty boring. While I don't feel embarrassed to read the Twilight books on the train, a change is nice, so I picked up the latest Elle Decor UK version and loved it! There were many modern/industrial spreads which didn't super appeal to me but they were nice to look at nonetheless. One of the articles was really beautiful in particular was of Mariu de Andreis's apartment in Paris.

Mariu's father was Italian fashion photographer, Paolo Roversi, so photography is super important to her. How much do you want floor to ceiling windows with mouldings like that?

Am dying over the arrangement of the pictures over the mantle, as well as the mantle itself. I love the green blues brought into the color palette too. The fur ads softness to some of the hard modern elements in the room.

I love that table, even though it's so light, it has such a presence.

Like I said above, she has been very influenced by the idea of photographs and has created a small mural of Polaroids in the shape of a heart over her bed. She loves Polaroids because they are SO spontaneous and in the moment. What a cute idea.

Isn't the floor in this apartment incredible? They seem to have lots of books (applaud that) crammed into the shelves. I like this so much that I'm not even upset by the fact that she has leaning art on the shelf.

Close up on the art.

In an Italian household, she said that the kitchen/dining is the most important place in the house. I love this picture of her taking an espresso or a tea with her daughters. So cute (even though it's staged).

Here is Mariu. She has her own children's clothing line, Zef, which "epitomises the classic French bohemian look, born through Mariu’s eloquent natural feel for ethnic patterns with retro twists." Basically anyone who is anyone and is 6 years old in France, should be wearing Zef.

Not loving the stripped down industrial computer stand but I do love the lamp...and did I mention the floor?

Oh look, it's my least favorite piece of furniture of all time. HINT: The coffee table. It's okay though, the floor lamps and the bookcase make up for its short comings.

She has ANOTHER fireplace in this apartment? Jealous!

Now, I know it must seem weird that I would like something like this as I am a self proclaimed traditionalist but I love the eclectic look of it. It's glamorous without being pretentious and I don't even hate the mid century modern pieces! The architectural qualities of this apartment give it a good base, though. I'll certainly be getting Elle Decor UK more often.


Alicia B.

Chalet & Abode-New York

Welcome to the latest members of ISAK stockists. Chalet in Bakewell is a beautiful, hidden gem of a shop. A lovely collection of interior specialities, mainly sourced from France and Scandinavia.
Rustic, homely and quirky. If you are taking a trip to Derbyshire, be sure to pop in and see Lou and browse her collection at 1 Kings Court, Kings Street.

On the other side of the pond our "special relationship" with the USA is growing with our first stockist in New York. Tony & Brian run Abode-New York in Brooklyn. They aim to stock "unique and contemporary home furnishings for the urban dweller".

If you are planning to take a bite of The Big Apple, drop by, say hi and find some NY style to take home with you.

How to dry persimmons, traditional Japanese farmhouse style

This week I'm shopping for a persimmon tree for the Edible Japanese Garden that's replacing the fern garden out front at my place. Of course I will be planting a sweet, rather than an astringent (shibui) persimmon. The sweet ones, such as Fuyu, are squat-shaped, and can be eaten either crunchy or yielding. The long-shaped Hachiya variety, the ones Aussies first planted before we knew better (sorry Hachiya), are awfully 'shibui'. You have to wait until they become syrupy-ripe before eating, otherwise, biting into one will give you that 'cotton-wool-in-the-mouth' reaction, awful. I don't enjoy slushy and stringy much more than shibui, and neither, it seems, do the Japanese. They harvest them in Autumn, hang them under the eaves, and let the dry winter air transform them to something like enchanted dried apricots: intense, chewy, and frosted in sugar. 'Hoshi Gaki' is the Japanese name.

Last year while visiting the old pottery town of Machiko, in the Japanese mountains, I came across a lady at the traditional dye-works, performing the annual Autumn task of harvesting and preparing the 'shibui' persimmons from the tree outside, to be hung to dry.

Here is how you do it.

1. Cut the fruit from the trees, leaving a little 'handle' to hang it from
2. Peel the fruit, but leave a tiny square of skin at the bottom. This stops the sugars from dripping out the bottom

3. Hang them, evenly spaced, in a shady place with plenty of dry air circulating so they don't become moldy. If you have ancient thatched roof eaves on hand, perfect. Note what a beautiful, asymmetric patterns the Japanese lady has hung her baubles of drying fruit. The sight of drying persimmons is one that must be lived with for weeks, recalling autumns past as you gaze on them. In the Japanese aesthetic, almost everything you touch can be honoured as art.

Hoshigaki dried persimmon photo from digicamworks.
No bloom yet, but looking festive.

4. After a few weeks of regular massage, a white frostiness appears as the sugars seep to the surface and crystallise. Home-reared dried persimmons have a rich flavor and smooth texture. The cheap, mass-produced dried persimmons who missed out on this loving step are stringy and shallow. My friends explained to me that the massaging of sugar crystals up through the flesh breaks down the fibers.

My friend Endo-san's persimmons, drying in the
grand Tokyo garden that her parents left to her and her sister.

Hear the how-to story from somebody who has actually done it. The Slow Food USA drying persimmon story is both beautiful and useful.

Apartment balcony Hoshi gaki persimmons from Nekobiyouri blog

The great thing about dried persimmons is, you see them gone splat on footpaths by November, so I figure most owners would be happy to give them away if you ask prettily. Go for an inner-Melbourne walk in mid-May, see what you find, and start the sensuous pioneering work of massaging astringent persimmons to sweetness. Don't forget to send me the photos.

SPRING IS HERE!!

TIME TO SPRING INTO FESTIVAL SEASON!!

When you live at Miramonte, you are just a short walk away to all the great festivals in Downtown Mountain View. The first event coming up is the 13th Annual A La Carte and Art Festival.





A LA CARTE & ART FESTIVAL, Mountain View, California
When: May 16-17, 2009; 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
What: The official kick-off to festival season in the Bay Area, this vibrant, open-air springtime celebration in the heart of Silicon Valley features live rhythm and blues, jazz, Motown, and rock 'n roll music, a juried arts and crafts show with 250 exhibitors showing their latest handcrafted wares, festive food and drink with premium wines, microbrews and margaritas, a farmers' market with fresh seasonal produce, chefs' demonstrations, street performers, an organic and green product showcase, and the "Tons of Fun Zone" with amusements and games for kids. Admission is free.

Check out their website:
http://www.miramarevents.com/alacarte/index.html